ARTWORK

Cars honking, people shouting at each other, autos and motorcycles revving up their engines, children screaming and shouting while at the society park. As I crossed the road to school everyday, I used to hear the sound of trucks and vans trying their best to push along the narrow roads, the BEST bus taking up the space of the whole road, and many more. These are the sounds that I miss hearing on a daily basis. Without even a slight hint, it has all changed now. The eerie silence in the outside world is startling to all of us. The cautious conduct, the fear thick in the air is certainly very new to me. Life during lockdown is very confining and one always yearns to move outside the house, even if one is usually an indoor person. The walls of the house restrict one from moving freely. The masks and gloves are now a necessity in our lives and going outside is almost like a taboo.

However, the lockdown isn’t all bad. The lockdown has given us a sense of peace. It has given us different methods of connecting with our friends and family. It helps us give ourselves some ‘me-time’ and it allows us to connect with those in other countries using the internet and other social media platforms. This lockdown has further taught us the basic etiquettes of personal hygiene ; something we should have followed earlier to avoid this catastrophe. Atmanirbhar Raho which is the motto of the Indian government’s anti-coronavirus activities, roughly translates to ‘self-reliant’ in english. This lockdown period makes us realise how dependent we are on our house helps, cooks, didis. It urges us to treat them with much more respect and dignity. Day in, day out we are learning and sharing recipes, ideas and so much more. Every tutorial on Instagram about making mug cakes, and every time we pick up the mop and start cleaning, we are a step closer to being independent.

This is also a recovery period for mother nature. With her main persecutors confined to their homes, nature is showing itself to us. We can hear the chirping of birds, the rustling of leaves, and animals are now returning to the cities which were their previous homes. Deers are trotting on the streets, peacocks are showing their magnificent colours in the streets of Delhi, dolphins are returning to the Ganges. It is truly humbling to see these animals return to their rightful homes.

Being away from our loved ones is sometimes what brings us closer to them and helps us understand each other better. This shows all of us how much we take the Earth for granted, how much we take our areas for granted. It is true, that this lockdown is an irksome experience for some, but introspecting leads us to realize that this lockdown is a blessing in disguise. We all should take these saddening times and use this lockdown to do something better and to better the lives of others. Life in lockdown may be a bit frustrating and restricting, but ;

“Happiness can be found in the darkest of times only if one remembers to turn on the light” - Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.

It is no surprise that the national lockdown due to SARS-CoV-2 has had a considerable amount of effect on our society, for both the good and bad. Starting with the positive effects, one of the most notable of which would be how all of us have started relying on ourselves to do most of the work ; from cooking food at home when we usually would have ordered, to cleaning the whole house ourselves when a helper would have probably done it for us. Another constructive outcome would be that now we are a lot more mindful when it comes to wasting food as now it is a lot harder to buy groceries and essential items. However, the effects of lockdown extend far beyond our home. To start off, let me talk about the remarkable decrease in air pollution all over the world. Due to the decline in the amounts of PM 2.5 and other pollutants a scientist from Stanford has calculated that the lives of 77,000 people in China have been saved. I don’t know if you have noticed, but the skies have become a lot bluer and you can actually see stars in the sky at night ; In Jalandhar, Punjab, residents are actually able to see the Himalayas after 30 years. Delhi, the most air-polluted city in India, has also witnessed a drop in pollutants. In fact, the PM 2.5 levels in Delhi have dropped by 71%, along with nitrous dioxide levels, which is another pollutant. Water pollution levels have also dropped by a lot and fish are being seen quite frequently at the Varanasi ghat steps which used to be a rare sighting.

Moving on to the negative effects, even though there actually aren’t that many to count, one of them would be the increase in employee anxiety. As companies and firms are finding it harder to pay their employees, there is a possibility of them being made redundant. On top of that, it is also harder for many other people to earn their incomes as most jobs are restricted. Additionally, since our needs are unlimited and we have to buy resources constantly, the expenditure is increasing while the money output is decreasing.

In conclusion, if you manage to ignore the tiny chances of possible bankruptcy and the incredible level of boredom, the effects of lockdown really aren’t that bad.

There is no doubt that the pandemic we face currently will change people and in turn, alter the course of history. You would think that the virus targets our level of hygiene and safety, for which you would be correct. However, the impact of COVID 19 targets the very roots of what human societies are built upon. We see such a trend in the education sector all around the world.

In the 21st century, information and knowledge is key. And without ever sitting down and deciding we conventionally believe and agree that education is one of the quintessential pillars in our society. Unfortunately, we restrict education only to academics, even though extra-curricular activities are what differentiate candidates in colleges, jobs.

In the detailed study of the Academic Stress, Parental Pressure, Anxiety and Mental Health among Indian High School Students, the professors discovered that nearly two-thirds (63.5%) of the students reported stress due to academic pressure. Therefore, as more time is spent on studies we miss out on learning new life skills through different activities.

Now that schools are more or less over and the academic pressure is lowered, it is time we take action and upgrade ourselves with more skills. Students must participate in something unique to one-up their competition. Unfortunately, new data suggests otherwise. On an average, Indians spend 4 extra hours on social media platforms everyday. Therefore, it is our duty, as parents and students, to turn the tables and acquire new skills. To help you out, I have mentioned a couple of examples that could possibly encourage you.

For starters, I have taken a handful of Udemy courses on Investing and the Stock Market. Soon enough, I will start a certified Spanish course to get an edge over the current syllabus. Lastly, I have started working with an upcoming company to advertise and market their product. While self-development is key to a successful future, it is just as important to help the people around you and the ones that really need support. Thus, I am affiliated with an NGO that provides free food, groceries, and water for the needy and poor. My goal at first was to raise Rs.10,000 however, I have successfully raised Rs.50,000 and as a troop of nearly 70 kids, we have collected over 7 lakhs. Our efforts allow the NGO to provide additional food for the threatened hospital staff members also.

By giving you multiple examples and facts, I hope you realise that the lockdown is a way for us to improve ourselves, to expand our horizons and to think outside the box. Additionally, we must do our part in helping migrant workers, doctors, policemen,etc. There is no harm in trying, any result you get will only benefit YOU.

“Helping one person might not change the world, but it could change the world for one person.”

Dearest QoasterMaster Jr.,
The lockdown was supposed to end today. I tore up the post-lockdown to-do list I had made for this day, trying to forget what was supposed to be in store for me. The lockdown has changed me. It helped me live with insects a lot more easily. Yes, I am still stuck in the smelly, cockroach-infested apartment that just isn't’ large enough to fit a joint family. It made me realize that even introverts like me have to meet people at some time or the other. The morning started in a rather unusual way. Mom was on a call with a friend who told her she was lonely.

“I have some news for you”, dad started. I knew that the news was probably bad. It was. “The owner of this apartment is not allowing us to live here any longer. We have to move to another apartment.” Our own home has been under renovation for a while now so we’ve been forced to live in rented apartments.I looked at the pictures of the flat that we were supposed to move into. There was no bed, no television, no refrigerator, nothing. It was a desert without an oasis. Actually, it was no different from a prison.

Soon, I started to do some video editing for my upcoming youtube video. The lockdown has given me enough time to start a channel and post videos every three days! In some ways, I could consider this lockdown a blessing. With every video, I seem to improve with faster and better editing. After I edited the video to my heart’s content, I uploaded it.

Soon after lunch, I checked how many views my video had - 3. I was not happy with that number. I rewrote the title and the description of the video. Within seconds, the views (and likes) skyrocketed. I was thrilled when two more people subscribed to my channel after only a minute of the re-upload.

Satisfied, I began to focus on my studies. I met the daily study quota with ease. The subject I had to study today was Chemistry. Here's how I managed my study time today: After three hours of studying, I decided to take a break. I finished the rest of the quota in the late evening.

As soon as I was done I began shooting the raw footage for my next video. I am determined to finish this mini-series in less than two years, even if it means that I have to sacrifice 80% of my screen time every day. It’s worth it as the audience retention is between 90% and 100%, which just means that I have to upload at least two videos every week.

As you can see, I have dedicated a massive chunk of my time today to my youtube channel. I am doing so only because there really is nothing else to do nowadays since school is over. They have given us a couple of things to do in this lockdown - vacation, like the HACC project and of course - holiday homework. I am grateful for that.

If there is one thing I could wish for today, it would be to delay the rains. I would be horrified to see a downpour during the lockdown, knowing that if it happens, the lockdown would extend, people would die and I would not be able to leave the barren apartment till 2021.

I hope things improve soon, but I highly doubt they will.
- Ishaan.

A normal day in lockdown would go along the lines of - eat, sleep and repeat...and maybe a little bit of work. But when it is your birthday during such a period, then everything changes. Most people would be upset about their birthday during lockdown, but I was fine with it.

Even though my birthday was not celebrated in a grand way, it was filled with fun. Since I love eating, my mother made my favorite dishes for every meal. In the evening, my family, my neighbors and I played a lot of games. We also watched movies ALL night. True, I couldn’t meet my friends physically, but we met virtually on a screen. With all the online games we played during the video call, it was like a birthday party...except it was virtual.

These days, I try being as productive as possible and I try spending a lot of time with my family. I often paint, explore my creativity, try eating healthy and work out. These are the few things that keep me going during this lockdown phase.

Tuesday, 12th MAY, 2020.
Dear Diary,

Today has been another day at home. These days, “going to school” has become almost parallel to “open up your laptop” and I think it's starting to get to me. Being under lockdown, I think, has taken away the fun of… I don’t know...Everything? Things have become dull without the opportunity to step outside and have fun, something that I always took for granted.

I watch the news sometimes, out of curiosity. I see that things are getting bad. They extended the lockdown, did you know? People are dying, and I hate to see it. But as bad as I feel for them, I can’t help but find myself thinking, ‘Thank the gods it wasn’t someone I know’ It’s stupid, I know, but you do tend to worry. The worst thing that could happen is that we run out of supplies, or Dad gets more cuts on his pay cheque. I’m just hoping it doesn’t come to that. I’ve kept everything crossed, fingers, toes, eyes…

On top of that, my birthday’s coming up, during lockdown! It’s horrible…I mean, I have been attending a few zoom parties online for some friends, but it’s not really the same as meeting up and honestly speaking, I hope I don’t have an online birthday, they feel … depressing.

On the bright side, our family is spending more time together. Dad has been learning to cook, which has been very…. let’s just go with interesting for now. We’ve learned card games like Solitaire, and my brother and I actually solved a puzzle! Which is strange as we used to hate them. My friends from school have kept well in touch. We video call every other day, which is something to look forward to, I suppose…

If you think about it, the lockdown has really brought people together and helped them prioritise and understand the value of their lives.

Or am I just spouting things from sappy greeting cards now ?

Yours truly,
xyz

We all know about the situation currently. I am pretty sure that we share one thing in common today – boredom or idleness. Ah, what would I not give for a glimpse of light! However the current situation, unfortunately, is cruel and does not permit that. But here is a short summary which describes how I spend my time in these hard circumstances.

The secret, at least for me to get rid of my boredom, is to see the lockdown from a different angle. I believe every single circumstance has a bright side. I feel that the bright side to this event is the unlimited time we get to spend with near and dear ones, whether it is face to face or via the Internet through FaceTime, Skype etc. Ultimately, we cannot do anything to change this event. Fate will take its own course, but there shall always be a benefit for all of us.

Another thing which entertains me is watching the news. I feel that under these circumstances, it is very important to keep ourselves up to date and have some idea at least about the world around us and the sorrows and joys of people. One thing which I absolutely don’t let this pandemic come in the way of my studies. I always spend at least 30-40 minutes on core subjects like maths and science.

Let me also remind you all, my good friends, that such a carefree lifestyle has less than a five percent chance of coming once again, and I feel we should use it to the best of our abilities. Whether it is pursuing our respective hobbies or interaction with our well-wishers or friends (with social distancing of course). The British may seem to have made our lives miserable under their rule but we should thank them profusely for unitising our nation. In the same way, while the corona virus situation is quite miserable, it has given us a lot of time together.

Being a big fan of cars and trains, this pandemic has given me quite a lot of time to broaden my mind in these respective subjects. Though I must warn you friends, one thing I noticed is that I have been spending a lot of time on the screen these days due to more time available on my hands and I am going to change that.

Something which has been bothering me though and which I consider quite a big problem is exercise. The lack of fitness is really bothering me, but what I do which I think is also a valuable tip is to exercise indoors, example weight lifting in the form of lifting a full bag of clothes and depositing it in the washing machine, and also setting a time of 30 seconds to run say five rounds around the house and many other fitness experiments.

I would like to conclude this essay by saying that we should not give up and we must try to make the best of the circumstance we have on our hands and utilize the time given to us by this pandemic by spending it on various interests. I must say that I have just begun to appreciate this lockdown for the precious time it has given me. Don’t we often say that we want more time in our lives? Well here it is. It is all about grabbing the opportunity and utilising it in a purposeful way.

Stay home and stay safe.